When the 2026 ACM Awards nominations were announced earlier this month, the overwhelming storylines were dominated by women as nominees. Megan Moloney, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley and Laney Wilson were the leaders, each beating the closest male candidate, Chris Stapleton, by six points.
However, while the recognition of women by ACM voters this year was a positive sign, it does not necessarily mean that female artists will be given the same opportunities as male artists. In a special episode of Rolling Stone”s Nashville now In the podcast, we pose five questions (call them “Featured Thoughts” if you like) about the nominations, categories, and races at the 61st Annual ACM Awards. ACM will be streamed on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17th.
The Duo of the Year category continues to be a hotly contested race.
At last year’s ceremony, Brooks and Dunn, a duo whose re-recorded duets were last recorded in 2024, walked away with the ACM award for Duo of the Year. This year, it has been 18 months since the decline. Reboot II, The Country Music Hall of Famer has been nominated again. But The War and Treaty, who released a new album in 2025 and have appeared at award shows around the world every year, are nowhere to be found. All of this helps to highlight why this category is definitely a head-scratcher. Another example? The addition of new duo Thelma and James is a very promising group that should be nominated in the New Duo or Group of the Year race. If only that category existed this year… So here’s my fourth take.
The Emerging Male Artist of the Year and Emerging Female Artist of the Year categories will give names like Avery Anna, Vincent Mason and Emily Ann Roberts a chance to win ACM trophies. But unlike last year, there will be no race for rookie duo or group of the year. Meanwhile, breakout artists such as Kaitlyn Butts and Carter Faith, and even Britney Spencer, who is set to open for Bob Dylan, are not included in the new category. Mainly chalk it up to the requirement that candidates have to have a song in the top 50. signboard”■ Hot Country Songs chart or Mediabase country chart.
The 2026 Album of the Year race is pretty weird
It’s heartening to see newcomers like Riley Greene, Parker McCollum, and Carter Faith getting nominated for their work here, but the scorn is damning. Two of the most groundbreaking albums released last year, Eric Church. evangeline vs machine and tyler childers snipe hunter, Didn’t get any nominations. On the other hand, his deluxe version is I don’t mind This album secured Green’s support. We are so excited to see Faith’s work cherry valley, which one rolling stone Ranked at No. 2 on the list of Best Country & Americana Albums of 2025, it highlights Faith’s absence from the New Female scene.
Has the entertainer of the year lost its luster?
Entertainer of the Year, the top award at the ACM (and the competing CMA Awards), is typically considered to recognize country music’s best ambassadors of the year. Vague criteria are difficult to quantify and can lead to subjective victories. But if this category is actually meant to promote country music’s mission, there’s one major omission: Ella Langley. No one has done more in country music this year than Langley and her crossover smash hit “Choosin’ Texas.”
Women made up the majority of nominations, but are they being broadcast on radio?
Moloney has nine nominations, Miranda has eight nominations, and Langley and Wilson each have seven nominations, making them the clear leaders at the 61st ACM. But not all of them are necessarily played on the radio. Langley and Moloney are currently the only two women in Mediabase’s top 20. Let me be clear: As an author, rolling stone Contributor Marissa R. Moss says this isn’t an issue with the women themselves, but with the industry.
ACM Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Dick Clark Productions is owned by ACM’s parent company, Penske Media Corporation. Rolling Stone magazine.
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